EXCLUSIVE: Amal Alamuddin blows off George Clooney's family reunion in Kentucky to 'save the world,' but aunt confirms the couple WILL wed in Italy in September and Brad Pitt tapped to be best man

By Sara Nathan and Andy Tillett In Augusta, Kentucky

Published: 12:18 GMT, 19 June 2014

As the woman to finally tame the world’s most eligible bachelor, Amal Alamuddin has been the subject of much discussion among George Clooney’s family. But his relatives were left disappointed when work commitments kept the stunning human rights lawyer in the UK when the Oscar winner, 53, made his annual trip to Augusta, Kentucky last week - while his parents Nick and Nina had even painted their house in preparation.

However, many of the Clooney clan will soon have their chance to meet Amal, 36, as the star's aunt Starla Clooney today exclusively confirms to MailOnline the couple WILL wed in Italy in September. Mrs Clooney revealed the actor's parents are now planning a trip to Italy in the next week or two to 'scope out some stuff' - as she revealed it's likely that A lister Brad Pitt will be Clooney's best man.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Family ties: George Clooney joins his parents Nina and Nick, to the left of him, and sister Adelia, next to him, as he donates costumes from his hit movies to the Rosemary Clooney House Museum in his hometown of Augusta, Kentucky

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Kind: Clooney has donated his costume from The Monuments Men and Leatherheads to the museum dedicated to his aunt, singer Rosemary Clooney. His dad, Nick, stands by holding the family dog in his arms

Work commitments: HIgh-profile human rights barrister Amal Alamuddin - who has represented Wikileaks founder Julian Assange - missed her fiancé's family reunion in his Kentucky hometown last week. She's pictured here at the global summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in London on June 12, alongside Clooney's good pal Brad Pitt, his fiancée Angelina Jolie and British Foreign Secretary William Hague

Starla lives in Hamilton, Ohio, with her husband Joe, 60, who is George’s uncle, where she works as a non-denominational minister, officiating events including weddings in prisons at the nearby Lebanon and Warren Correctional Institutions.

And asked about the wedding, she said: ‘I did hear Cincinnati, since it’s not that far from Kentucky - that’s one of the places they were considering - but apparently Cincinnati didn’t win, it's not going to be the place.

‘I do know that Nick and Nina are planning a trip over to Italy in the next week or so to, I guess, scope out some stuff.'

Starla also thinks the actor and producer will choose one of his Hollywood friends over a family member when it comes to picking a best man, saying: 'I would say he’d choose Brad Pitt for his best man. They are good friends, I would think that’s who he’d choose.’

But she offered her services to preside over a local service if Clooney and Amal decided to have another ceremony in case family can't travel to Italy, adding: 'Sure, I'd do it in a heartbeat!'

Around 200 of the star’s extended family descended on the town and nearby Maysville for a weekend of get-togethers - eager to meet the newest member of the clan. However, Amal was in London where days later she attended the global summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in London, alongside Clooney's good pal Brad Pitt, his fiancée Angelina Jolie and British Foreign Secretary William Hague.

Ben Breslin, 55, a cousin of George’s, who hosted a big party on Saturday night, told MailOnline: ‘When he came in the front door, I was looking around asking 'Where is she?'

‘He explained she’s a lawyer and apparently she’s across the sea somewhere working on a case, off saving the world. It was a shame because I would have liked to have met her.’ When asked if he was looking forward to welcoming a Brit into the family, Ben laughed: ‘Not a problem – if she can put up with us, we can put up with her. Nina say she’s a lovely girl and if she likes her, she’s in.’

George’s parents, retired broadcaster Nick, 80, and Nina, 74 - who runs her own shop in the town - had even had their house REPAINTED ahead of the occasion.

Family friend Ronnie French said: ‘At one time Nick and Nina’s house used to be bright green, real bright green and it was completely surrounded by shrubs. ‘So this year, they hired a person, they repainted it and redecorated the outside and took all the shrubs down, and now you can see it.’ He added: ‘His family seem to be very pleased about him getting married again. This lady he’s marrying seems to me to be an equal to him. And she doesn’t have anything to do with the movie business, which is good.

His wife, Diana, added: ‘I thought maybe it was because [Amal] was coming in, but she didn’t. She had business.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]'Where is she?!' George Clooney's cousin Ben Breslin, pictured in Augusta, KY, said Amal was the talk of the family reunion and everyone had expected to meet her - but Clooney said she was 'off saving the world'

When he is in town Clooney usually stays at either his parents’ house or another property they own down by the banks of the Ohio River.

The Gravity actor can also show his fiancée some of the local delicacies, such as the famed transparent tarts from Magee’s Bakery, or the General Store café in Augusta’s main street, a favourite hang out with the locals, where his parents dine most weekends. A little further down from the luxury property is the Rosemary Clooney House, a museum dedicated to the star’s late aunt, the singer most famous for starring in the 1954 film White Christmas.

However, one of the rooms is rapidly filling up with props from Clooney's movies and on Saturday, June 7, he unveiled two new additions, the costumes he wore in O Brother Where Art Though and Monuments Men. Before the event, Clooney's sister Adelia Zeidler hosted a small garden party for the family reunion at her house where she served up homemade quiches.

Today, she remained tight-lipped when asked about her brother's wedding - even declining to say whether she had met Amal.

But judging by these exclusive photos from the event the brother and sister – born just a year and four days apart – are as closer as ever as the big day approaches, despite her speaking out 18 months ago to say she couldn’t see him ever walking down the aisle for a second time following his failed marriage to Talisa Balsam that ended in 1993. Later in the evening they all dined at the family’s favourite restaurant, Capronis, down by the water in Maysville.

Ronnie is connected to the family via his daughter Heather French - former Miss America 2000 - who was a close friend of Rosemary Clooney and bought her house when she passed away, turning it into the museum.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Chez Clooney: The newly painted home of Nina and Nick Clooney in Augusta, Kentucky

He said: ‘We’ve had several people from England that lived in Augusta and they loved it. He might show her that we don’t all go around barefooted in Kentucky!’

‘I think his family are just glad he wants to get married. I think his parents are pleased he’s finally settling down. He’s 53, 54 and he’s not getting any younger … If he’s going to be a father then I think its now or never.’

Last edited by Katiedot on Thu Jun 19 2014, 17:08; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : changed thread title and added text)

Alisonfan wrote:She may not have been formally invited. Or as George says, she has better things to do.

One fine day he may wake up and realize "errands" and coffee are not saving the world, tell that one to service men and women on standby today.

Where in the article does it read that George said she had better things to do? I found a reference to her saving the world. I don't think he would be so rude to his family and friends with that first statement, even if it was a matter that she did not want to attend ( regardless of her scheduling).

PigPen, this is where I think the article is great for misinterpretation. The Uncle Breslin commented that she was 'saving the world' as an afterthought when he commented that she was working on a legal case. It wasn't anything His Nibs said, just an addendum from Breslin to his own comment.........

It's obvious that the journos are pumping every last cousin to see if they can find out more. And then the sub-editor gives everything a new, and wrong, twist.......

Funny how the information in the quotes doesn't really support how they summarize it in the article. Aunt did not say "George said Brad will be best man" she said "I think..." Tacky, unreliable journalism.

Last edited by fava on Thu Jun 19 2014, 19:20; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : typo)

I can't see His Nibs being very happy about the Mail headline to put it mildly.......

George Clooney’s rogue aunt says Brad Pitt might be the best man

The Rogue Relative. So many celebrities have one. The Rogue Relative often makes his/her appearance whenever there’s a celebration or a tragedy. The Rogue Relative is always good for a soundbite. The Rogue Relative isn’t discerning about who s/he gives the soundbite to, which is why the Rogue Relative usually shows up in one of the trashier tabloids, or the Daily Mail.

So George Clooney has an aunt by marriage, Starla Clooney. There was a Clooney family gathering a couple of weeks ago when they all saw each other last and now she’s telling the Daily Mail that Clooney and Amal Alamuddin will probably get married in Italy, even though they were initially thinking Cincinnati, and Brad Pitt could be the best man:

“I did hear Cincinnati, since it’s not that far from Kentucky - that’s one of the places they were considering - but apparently Cincinnati didn’t win, it's not going to be the place. I do know that Nick and Nina (George’s parents) are planning a trip over to Italy in the next week or so to, I guess, scope out some stuff. I would say he’d choose Brad Pitt for his best man. They are good friends, I would think that’s who he’d choose.”

So she went rogue …and she’s wrong. Which is embarrassing. Because she clearly doesn’t know much about her nephew.

Clooney has a crew. They’re his boys. They are TIGHT. You probably know Rande Gerber best because the others aren’t famous but they’re loyal and supportive and they spend all kinds of time together and it would be almost unthinkable that one of those guys wouldn’t be the best man. George and Brad are friends, of course. But they’re not really best friends. George and Matt Damon are closer than George and Brad Pitt. George and John Krasinski are closer than George and Brad Pitt. And if I know this, she should know this. And if she doesn’t know this…well…bless her, what does she know?

It’s not her fault. She’s not media trained. And when a reporter wants to talk to you, make you feel like what you have to say is important, I suppose it could be hard for someone who’s related to someone super famous to say, “Um, I have no idea”, because it might give them the idea that you’re not that close and you wouldn’t want people to think that George Clooney doesn’t like her.

What can you do when you’re the celebrity though? Of course you don’t want your relatives going rogue but if you’re Clooney, you also don’t want to be that dick who issues an edict out to the family to tell them to shut up.So if Aunt Starla wants to tell some low rent UK magazine, like HEAT, next time that George and Amal are expecting twins called Rosemary and Roxanne, well, you just kind of have to let her have her way.

Last edited by Nicky80 on Thu Jun 19 2014, 19:52; edited 2 times in total (Reason for editing : Added text)

Nicky80 wrote:I knew some newspaper will publish those pics from that event. Finally we got them. NICE

But the aunt Starla talks a lot.... i wonder why...His friends are more in secret about all this then his own aunt....Wonder if she gets told off soon by George parents

Maybe, just maybe, Aunty has been asked to blab, just to make things fun and completely off the wall. If not, I think Nick would have ripped her a new one the first time she spoke up , I think it was when she said she would like to officiate the service.

I don't know if I'd go so far as "asked" to give out false information, but I could see not stopping her. Sure, Aunt Starla, keep telling them it's in September in Italy. Never mind that Nick and Nina travel to Italy for the week of July 4th every year, this time it's to "scope things out".